Category Archives: Wealth

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said, “I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat.”

“Is the man of the house home?” they asked. “No”, she said. “He’s out.”

“Then we cannot come in”, they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. “Go tell them I am home and invite them in,” he said.

The woman went out and invited the men in. “We do not go into a house together,” they replied. “Why is that?” she wanted to know. One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.” Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. “How nice!” he said. “Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!”

His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?” Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!”

“Let us heed our daughter-in-law’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.”

The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.” Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love, why are you coming in?” The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!”

The cost is discipline. No leader can achieve success without a certain level of discipline. A disciplined person is willing and able to give up short-term pleasure to achieve long-term gains. Of course becoming disciplined requires you to have daily habits. Only disciplined people with habits can turn their lives around.

Habits can change the direction of our lives. While some people have pitiful habits, like gossiping, others have powerful ones, like praising others. No matter who you are or where you came from, your habits can make or break you.

Studying

First and foremost, you should never go a day without learning. Learning can happen in all forms. Personally, I study every day for a minimum of three hours. This includes the following habits: reading the dictionary, reading books, watching videos, reviewing and replying to comments, talking to my coach.

Out of all of this, reading is most important. Every day, without fail, I get to my books and soak in as many ideas I can. I also put my phone in another room as I drink in the knowledge and wisdom of these books. All the books in the world have all the answers in the world. I can afford to miss a meal, but I can’t afford to miss a book!

“The greatest university of all is a collection of books.” –Thomas Carlyle

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Goal setting

Every day, you should make it your duty to set your goals. In my composition book I write down everything that I want to accomplish for the month, year, and decade. This process fascinates me and gets me to think bigger and step over the small problems in life. To date, I have over 100 of these composition books in my garage.

Let’s say you have a goal to live a lavish lifestyle within the next 10 years. If you want to achieve this goal, you list some ideas that correspond with it. For instance, you list the following ideas for the year: a private jet, 10-bedroom mansion, personal chef, a Rolls-Royce. When you come up with these ideas, you’ll get really excited about where your life is heading.

Planning

You can set endless goals, but you need plans to achieve them.

First, you’ll need to break down those 10-year goals into years, months, weeks, and days. Once you break them down into smaller parts, you’ll have to come up with some steps to achieve those results and find a way to hold yourself accountable.

One of my clients had big goals to be a professional speaker. However, he didn’t know how to plan. I told him that he’ll have to set the stage high (no pun intended) and make plans to achieve his goals. I told him that if he gave 120 speeches in a year, he would reach his goals. I helped him break it down to 10 a month, which is one speech for every third day.

Networking

In the new millennium, we have so many new ways to get and stay connected. To network effectively, you’ll have to be a producer, not a consumer. This means you have to network aggressively, not passively. Don’t wait for emails or phone calls to come to you. Instead, make an effort to reach out to others. Realize that networking is a daily habit.

I use a special system called the “Rule of 10.” This rule allows me to send 10 text messages, 10 phone calls, and 10 emails a day. On top of this, I’m constantly making videos, giving speeches, and writing articles, which allows me to reach the masses. I’m also posting several times a day on all of my social-media accounts. This is networking at its finest.

Journaling

Everyone needs time to think. To think effectively, you should keep a journal. It allows you to reflect on the day and ask serious questions. In addition, you’ll be able to keep track of stories, ideas, jokes, lessons, quotes, successes, failures, and more. You can keep track of who you met and where you went.

Every day, I write a minimum of four pages in my journal. To date, I have cherished two dozen journals. It gives me time to reflect on my greatest accomplishes, challenges, and opportunities. Sometimes, I’ll journal for over an hour.

When I look back in my journals, I’m often astounded from my journey. Further, it’s good to leave some notes behind for future generations.

“It’s not the number of hours you put in, but what you put in the hours.” —Abraham Lincoln

Exercising

To be successful in life, your body must perform at the highest level. Your mind is constantly asking your body to do the unexpected, and you must be prepared. The best way to prepare your body is by exercising, even when it’s inconvenient. Once your body is prepared for opportunities, you’ll be able to navigate through the oceans of success.

Imagine the feeling of perspiration dripping after a great workout. It’s a good feeling, right? If this is the case, why debate with yourself about whether you should workout or not? Why not make it a habit to work out 3-5 times a week for an hour or less a day? Not only will you gain unprecedented endurance, but you’ll also get all your work done before the end of the day.

Relaxing

Only powerful people know how to rest. After all, that’s when they get most of their power. Some people get so tensed up over time they burn out. When you get too fatigued or stressed, you lose concentration, then control. A person who doesn’t learn how to relax ends up wasting the precious time they could have saved.

You need to zone out every once in a while. We all naturally zone out. Find a healthy discipline that sedates you. Usually, I’ll take some time to cook a great meal or take a walk in my neighborhood. Other times, I’ll put on some jazz music and have a friendly conversation with a loved one. Even in the midst of a serious deadline, these relaxing adventures will help you abscond from the worries in life.

Affirming

Every day we get a moment to talk to ourselves. The average human being speaks to themselves at least 12,000 times a day. The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is what they say to themselves. Click this link to find out some of the greatest affirmations you can make.

Truthfully, I’m a successful person who’s been relentlessly reciting his affirmations on a couple note cards every night for several years.

Melia Robinson/Business Insider

Mastering your craft

Every day, you must be working on your craft. Each of us has been innately gifted with a talent (or talents) that must be exercised on a daily basis. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Mastery takes years to cultivate, but if you’re willing to be the best at what you do, there won’t be much competition.

“Every master was once a disaster.” –T. Harv Eker

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Masterminding

Successful people have learned to organize the right relationships in their lives. This means that their closest people are nurturing them mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Even if you see a “solo act” like a musician, you must also account for those who are behind the scenes, like their make-up artist, manager, sound technicians, voice coach.

However, your mastermind doesn’t form without effort. It takes time to carefully select the right people. More important, the right relationships will form naturally when you learn more about what you’re doing. Eventually, your hand-picked team will bring out the best in you and help you overcome the greatest challenges you’ve ever faced.

All of these habits require the utmost discipline. You must communicate your needs to others so that they can support you in your habits.

When you seek constant improvement and refine your lifestyle by letting these habits your success, you will receive unlimited rewards in the process!

Zig Ziglar said “Money isn’t everything , but it’s right up there with oxygen.” The topic of wealth, income, and making money is often discussed and viewed in a negative light. Our society is afraid of being labeled as greedy or money hungry, but what must be understood is that money is a crucial part of freedom. I personally know what it’s like to have nothing, to stress about paying my next bill, and to feel hopeless. I also know what it’s like to thrive, and I’ve been fortunate enough to create some great income as well. Having money is a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling, but most importantly it gives you options.

Have you ever heard anybody say any of these?

“Money is the root of all evil.”

“Rich people are greedy.”

“Money won’t make you happy.”

“You don’t want to be one of those people.”

“I don’t need money.”

It’s usually those who claim they don’t care about money that are broke. Why not get wealthy? Why not become a millionaire? Why not focus on making as much money as you can? As entrepreneurs, I know you have goals of increasing your income. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so those thriving financially must be doing something different, right? Better yet, they must have a better perspective about money and how it’s earned?

Let me give you eight very tactical and straightforward tips that can be used right away to catapult your income.

1. Stop doing what you’re doing. We all know the saying “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a difference result.” If you aren’t satisfied, the first thing you must do is stop doing what you’ve been doing because what you are doing is what is creating your dissatisfying, current reality.

What’s great about life is the opportunity to completely change your story and direction overnight. Regardless of your past decisions, you’re always one decision away from making the right one.

2. Don’t let money define you. Your self worth has nothing to do with your finances. Whether you have a negative bank account or $5 million in the bank, your confidence must never waiver. If anything, your confidence needs to increase when you are stressed so you are motivated you to never feel that stress again.

Being wealthy is a state of mind, but so is being broke. You are what defines you, not what you possess.

3. Start prioritizing your profits. When you set up your weekly schedule make sure you start with income producing activities. Of all your activities, 20 percent will account for 80 percent of your income. Figure out what those are. Really think about the the top two or three things you need to do to create income. Now put those in your schedule consistently to assure you are creating income.

Constantly ask yourself if what you’re doing is profitable. Focus on doing what you should versus what you feel. Never forget that impact drives income.

4. Start placing a higher value on your time. Time is more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you can never get more time. It is possible to become twice as valuable, and make twice as much money in the same amount of time. There is nothing more valuable than time invested wisely. We all have the same 24 hours, and it’s what you do with them that determines everything.

5. It’s Ok to say no. Steve Jobs once said, “It’s what Apple said “no” to that ultimately made them successful.”

If you’re over-extending yourself and committing to too many things, this word will change your life. Say “no” to everything that doesn’t create income for you until you get your income to a place you feel confident and secure. Make a commitment to yourself that you will focus on income-producing activities versus tension-relieving activities.

6. Proximity is power. Most broke people hang with other broke people and they usually stay broke, together. Elevate your peer group by reaching out to those playing the game of life at a higher level than you.

Find those people because you’ll become a lot like the people you spend the most time with. Their belief systems, their ways of being and their attitudes are contagious. You’re either surrounding yourself with those who hold you accountable, or let you off the hook. Choose wisely.

7. Lower your excuses. As the excuses go up, the bank account goes down. The best excuse makers or “validators” have the smallest bank accounts. The energy and time you spend on creative excuses is better invested in thinking of actual solutions that move your life forward. Excuses are a disease and those who continue making them will continue to have money issues.

8. Shift your focus from victim to leader. Stop blaming the economy, stop blaming your past, stop blaming your boss or company, and stop thinking the world is out to get you. Charge more, switch jobs, become more valuable. My friend Hal Elrod says, “The moment you take responsibility for everything in your life, is the moment you can change anything in your life.”

The difference between ordinary income and extraordinary income is fast implementation. How quick will you get on your grind to start increasing your income? I assure you if you take these tips seriously, and want it bad enough you will create an income explosion the next couple months. I want you to realize that your bank account isn’t who you are, it’s who you were before you made the decision to focus on wealth.

Option rookies are often eager to begin trading – too eager. It’s important to get a solid foundation to be certain you understand how options work and how they can help you achieve your goals – before trading.

Here’s a list of my favorite methods. Note: this list contains strategies that are easy to learn and understand. Each is less risky than owning stock. Most involve limited risk. For investors not familiar with options lingo read our beginners options terms and intermediate options terms posts.

1. Covered call writing. Using stock you already own (or buy new shares), you sell someone else a call option that grants the buyer the right to buy your stock at a specified price. That limits profit potential. You collect a cash premium that is yours to keep, no matter what else happens. That cash reduces your cost. Thus, if the stock declines in price, you may incur a loss, but you are better off than if you simply owned the shares. On the other words, you are like collecting “rental income” from the share you owned.

Example: Buy 100 shares of IBM
Sell one IBM Jan 110 call

2. Cash-secured naked put writing. Sell a put option on a stock you want to own, choosing a strike price that represents the price you are willing to pay for stock. You collect a cash premium in return for accepting an obligation to buy stock by paying the strike price. You may not buy the stock, but if you don’t, you keep the premium as a consolation prize. If you maintain enough cash in your brokerage account to buy the shares (if the put owner exercises the put), then you are considered to be ‘cash-secured.’

Example: Sell one AMZN Jul 50 put; maintain $5,000 in account

3. Collar. A collar is a covered call position, with the addition of a put. The put acts as an insurance policy and limit losses to a minimal (but adjustable) amount. Profits are also limited, but conservative investors find that it’s a good trade-off to limit profits in return for limited losses.

4. Credit spread. The purchase of one call option, and the sale of another. Or the purchase of one put option, and the sale of another. Both options have the same expiration. It’s called a credit spread because the investor collects cash for the trade. Thus, the higher priced option is sold, and a less expensive, further out of the money option is bought. This strategy has a market bias (call spread is bearish and put spread is bullish) with limited profits and limited losses.

Example: Buy 5 JNJ Jul 60 calls
Sell 5 JNJ Jul 55 calls

or Buy 5 SPY Apr 78 puts
Sell 5 SPY Apr 80 puts

5. Iron condor. A position that consists of one call credit spread and one put credit spread. Again, gains and losses are limited.

Example: Buy 2 SPX May 880 calls
Sell 2 SPX May 860 calls

and Buy 2 SPX May 740 puts
Sell 2 SPX May 760 puts

6. Diagonal (or double diagonal) spread. These are spreads in which the options have different strike prices and different expiration dates.

1. The option bought expires later than the option sold
2. The option bought is further out of the money than the option sold

If you own both positions at the same time, it’s a double diagonal spread

Note that buying calls and/or puts is NOT on this list, despite the fact that the majority of rookies begin their option trading careers by adopting that strategy. True, it’s fun to buy an option and treat it as a mini-lottery ticket. But, that’s gambling. The likelihood of consistently making money when buying options is small, and I cannot recommend that strategy.

The Foreign Exchange market, also referred to as the “FOREX” or “Forex” or “Retail

forex” or “FX” or “Spot FX” or just “Spot” is the largest financial market in the world, with a volume of over $2 trillion a day. If you compare that to the $25 billion a day

volume that the New York Stock Exchange trades, you can easily see how enormous the Foreign Exchange really is. It actually equates to more than three times the total amount of the stocks and futures markets combined! Forex rocks!

What is traded on the Foreign Exchange?

The simple answer is money. Forex trading is the simultaneous buying of one currency and the selling of another. Currencies are traded through a broker or dealer, and are traded in pairs; for example the Euro dollar and the US dollar (EUR/USD) or the British pound and the Japanese Yen (GBP/JPY).

Because you’re not buying anything physical, this kind of trading can be confusing. Think of buying a currency as buying a share in a particular country. When you buy, say, Japanese Yen, you are in effect buying a share in the Japanese economy, as the price of the currency is a direct reflection of what the market thinks about the current and future health of the Japanese economy.

In general, the exchange rate of a currency versus other currencies is a reflection of the condition of that country’s economy, compared to the other countries’ economies. Unlike other financial markets like the New York Stock Exchange, the Forex spot market has neither a physical location nor a central exchange. The Forex market is considered an Over-the-Counter (OTC) or ‘Interbank’ market, due to the fact that the entire market is run electronically, within a network of banks, continuously over a 24-hour period.

Until the late 1990’s, only the “big guys” could play this game. The initial requirement was that you could trade only if you had about ten to fifty million bucks to start with!

Forex was originally intended to be used by bankers and large institutions – and not by us “little guys”. However, because of the rise of the Internet, online Forex trading firms are now able to offer trading accounts to ‘retail’ traders like us.

All you need to get started is a computer, a high-speed Internet connection, and the information contained within this site.

BabyPips.com was created to introduce novice or beginner traders to all the essential aspects of foreign exchange, in a fun and easy-to-understand manner.

What is a Spot Market?

A spot market is any market that deals in the current price of a financial instrument.

Which Currencies Are Traded?

The most popular currencies along with their symbols are shown below:

Symbol Country Currency Nickname

USD United States Dollar Buck

EUR Euro members Euro Fiber

JPY Japan Yen Yen

GBP Great Britain Pound Cable

CHF Switzerland Franc Swissy

CAD Canada Dollar Loonie

AUD Australia Dollar Aussie

NZD New Zealand Dollar Kiwi

Forex currency symbols are always three letters, where the first two letters identify the name of the country and the third letter identifies the name of that country’s currency.

When Can Currencies Be Traded?

The spot FX market is unique within the world markets. It’s like a Super Wal-Mart where the market is open 24-hours a day. At any time, somewhere around the world a financial center is open for business, and banks and other institutions exchange currencies every hour of the day and night with generally only minor gaps on the weekend.

The foreign exchange markets follow the sun around the world, so you can trade late at night (if you’re a vampire) or in the morning (if you’re an early bird). Keep in mind though, the early bird doesn’t necessarily get the worm in this market – you might get the

worm but a bigger, nastier bird of prey can sneak up and eat you too…

Time Zone New York GMT

Tokyo Open 7:00 pm 0:00

Tokyo Close 4:00 am 9:00

London Open 3:00 am 8:00

London Close 12:00 pm 17:00

New York Open 8:00 am 13:00

New York Close 5:00 pm 22:00

The Forex market (OTC)

The Forex OTC market is by far the biggest and most popular financial market in the

world, traded globally by a large number of individuals and organizations. In the OTC

market, participants determine who they want to trade with depending on trading

conditions, attractiveness of prices and reputation of the trading counterpart.

The chart below shows global foreign exchange activity. The dollar is the most traded

currency, being on one side of 89% of all transactions. The Euro’s share is second at 37%,

while that of the yen is at 20%.

Why Trade Foreign Currencies?

There are many benefits and advantages to trading Forex. Here are just a few reasons

why so many people are choosing this market:

No commissions.

No clearing fees, no exchange fees, no government fees, no brokerage fees.

Brokers are compensated for their services through something called the bid-ask spread.

No middlemen. Spot currency trading eliminates the middlemen, and allows you to trade directly with the market responsible for the pricing on a particular currency pair.

No fixed lot size.

In the futures markets, lot or contract sizes are determined by the exchanges. A standard-size contract for silver futures is 5000 ounces. In spot Forex, you determine your own lot size. This allows traders to participate with accounts as small as $250 (although we explain later why a $250 account is a bad idea).

• Low transaction costs.

The retail transaction cost (the bid/ask spread) is typically less than 0.1 percent under normal market conditions. At larger dealers, the spread could be as low as .07 percent. Of course this depends on your leverage and all will be explained later.

• A 24-hour market.

There is no waiting for the opening bell – from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon EST, the Forex market never sleeps. This is awesome for those who want to trade on a part-time basis, because you can choose when you want to trade–morning, noon or night.

• No one can corner the market.

The foreign exchange market is so huge and has so many participants that no single entity (not even a central bank) can control the market price for an extended period of time.

• Leverage.

In Forex trading, a small margin deposit can control a much larger total contract value. Leverage gives the trader the ability to make nice profits, and at the same time keep risk capital to a minimum. For example, Forex brokers offer 200 to 1 leverage, which means that a $50 dollar margin deposit would enable a trader to buy or sell $10,000 worth of currencies. Similarly, with $500 dollars, one could trade with $100,000 dollars and so on. But leverage is a double-edged sword. Without proper risk management, this high degree of leverage can lead to large losses as well as gains.

• High Liquidity.

Because the Forex Market is so enormous, it is also extremely liquid. This mean that under normal market conditions, with a click of a mouse you can instantaneously buy and sell at will. You are never “stuck” in a trade. You can even set your online trading platform to automatically close your position at your desired profit level (a limit order), and/or close a trade if a trade is going against you (a stop loss order).

• Free “Demo” Accounts, News, Charts, and Analysis. Most online Forex brokers offer ‘demo’ accounts to practice trading, along with breaking Forex news and charting services. All free! These are very valuable resources for “poor” and SMART traders who would like to hone their trading skills with ‘play’ money before opening a live trading account and risking real money.

• “Mini” and “Micro” Trading:

You would think that getting started as a currency trader would cost a ton of money. The fact is, compared to trading stocks, options or futures, it doesn’t. Online Forex brokers offer “mini” and “micro” trading accounts, some with a minimum account deposit of $300 or less. Now we’re not saying you should open an account with the bare minimum but it does makes Forex much more accessible to the average (poorer) individual who doesn’t have a lot of start-up trading capital.

What Tools Do I Need to Start Trading Forex?

A computer with a high-speed Internet connection and all the information on this site is all that is needed to begin trading currencies.

What Does It Cost to Trade Forex?

An online currency trading (a “micro account”) may be opened for with a couple hundred bucks. Do not laugh – micro accounts and its bigger cousin, the mini account, are both good ways to get your feet wet without drowning. For a micro account, we’d recommend

at least $1,000 to start. For a mini account, we’d recommend at least $10,000 to start.

After all that, do you have the courage to start on your own? As Warren Buffet shared his Investing Rule,

“Rule No.1 is never lose money. Rule No.2 is never forget rule number one.”

Being more productive is about working smarter, not harder, and making the most of each day.

While this is no easy feat, getting more done in less time is a much more attainable goal if you’re not sabotaging yourself with bad habits.

Here are 13 things you should stop doing right now to become more productive:

Aaron Taube contributed to an earlier version of this article.

1. Impulsive web browsing

Since most of us have access to the internet at work, it’s easy to get side-tracked looking up the answer to a random question that just popped into your head.

That’s why Quora user Suresh Rathinam recommends writing down these thoughts or questions on a notepad. This way, you can look up the information you want later, when you’re not trying to get work done.

2. Multi-tasking

While many people believe they are great at doing two things at once, scientific research has found that just 2% of the population is capable of effectively multi-tasking.

3. Checking email throughout the day

Constant internet access can also lead people to check email throughout the day. Sadly, each time you do this, you lose up to 25 minutes of work time. What’s more, the constant checking of email makes you dumber.

4. Moral licensing

Whether it’s a new diet, workout routine, or work schedule, one of the most difficult things about forming a new habit is the urge to cheat as a reward for sticking to a routine for a while.

This idea that we “deserve” to splurge on fancy meal after being thrifty for a week is called “moral licensing,” and it undermines a lot of people’s plans for self-improvement

Instead, try making your goal part of your identity, such that you think of yourself as the kind of person who saves money or works out regularly, rather than as someone who is working against their own will to do something new.

5. Putting off your most important work until later in the day

People often start off their day by completing easy tasks to get themselves rolling and leave their more difficult work for later. This is a bad idea, and one that frequently leads to the important work not getting done at all.

As researchers have found, people have a limited amount of willpower that decreases throughout the day. That being the case, it’s best to get your hardest, most important tasks done at the beginning of the day.

6. Taking too many meetings

Nothing disrupts the flow of productivity like an unnecessary meeting. And with tools like email, instant messenger, and video chat at your fingertips, it’s best to only use meetings for introductions and serious discussions that can only be held in person.

BlueGrace Logistics founder Bobby Harrisrecommends that people don’t accept a meeting unless the person who requested it has put forth a clear agenda and stated exactly how much time they will need. And even then, Harris recommends giving the person half of the time they initially requested.

She recommends forgoing coffee or fluorescent-lit conference room meetings in favor of walking and talking 20 to 30 miles a week.

“You’ll be surprised at how fresh air drives fresh thinking, and in the way that you do, you’ll bring into your life an entirely new set of ideas,” she say

8. Hitting the snooze button

It might feel like pressing the snooze button in the morning gives you a little bit of extra rest to start your day, but the truth is that itdoes more harm than good.

That’s because when you first wake up, your endocrine system begins to release alertness hormones to get you ready for the day. By going back to sleep, you’re slowing down this process. Plus, nine minutes doesn’t give your body time to get the restorative, deep sleep it needs.

This isn’t to say you should cut back on sleep. As Arianna Huffington discusses in her TED talk, a good night’s sleep has the power to increase productivity, happiness, smarter decision-making, and unlock bigger ideas. The trick for getting enough sleep is planning ahead and powering down at a reasonable time.

9. Failing to prioritize

Some people think having lots of goals is the best way to ensure success — if one idea fails, at least there are plenty more in reserve to turn to.

Unfortunately, this sort of wavering can be extremely unproductive.

Warren Buffett has the perfect antidote. Seeing that his personal pilot was not accomplishing his life goals, Buffett asked him to make a list of 25 things he wanted to get done before he died. But rather than taking little steps toward completing every one of them, Buffett advised the pilot to pick five things he thought were most important and ignore the rest.

10. Over-planning

Many ambitious and organized people try to maximize their productivity by meticulously planning out every hour of their day. Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned, and a sick child or unexpected assignment can throw a wrench into their entire day.

11. Under-planning

With that being said, you should take time to strategize before attempting to achieve any long-term goals. Trying to come up with the endgame of a project you’re doing midway through the process can be extremely frustrating and waste a huge amount of time.

13. Perfectionism

More often than laziness the root of procrastination is the fear of noting doing a good job, says British philosopher and author Alain de Botton on his website, The Book of Life.

“We begin to work only when the fear of doing nothing at all exceeds the fear of not doing it very well … And that can take time,”he writes.

The only way to overcome procrastination is to abandon perfectionism and not fuss over details as you move forward. Pretending the task doesn’t matter and that it’s OK to mess up could help you get started faster.

People with high EI are better at reading and responding to customers, for one thing. Here’s how to spot them in a lineup of potential hires.

The notion of Emotional intelligence (EI)–the ability to understand one’s own and other people’s emotions and steer behavior accordingly–has been a widely touted leadership trait in recent years. Adam Ochstein, founder and CEO of Chicago-based HR consultancy and software company Stratex, defines EI as the ability to look at a situation, analyze it and understand its objective and subjective angles. In essence, he says people with high EI are adept at reading people. “I think one of the biggest attributes of someone who has emotional intelligence is someone who can take a critical look at themselves, laugh at themselves and not take themselves too seriously,” he says. “They realize that what I see on the surface might not really be the whole story.”

Here’s why he says you need to hire these kinds of people and how you can spot them.

Employees with high EI are better at wooing your customers.

Regardless of the stellar nature of your product, customer service reps, receptionists and account managers who are good at reading customers and responding appropriately will be better at making them happy. “Clients connect with people, not with a product, and hiring people who have those type of innate skill sets enhances your brand,” he says.

Employees with high EI make great leaders.

These people are excellent listeners who have an ability to empathize with a myriad of personalities. Because they’re aware of other people’s feelings, they understand that their decisions–and how they communicate them–will affect everyone on a team. “People want to follow people who have a personal investment in their success, and people who have a high degree of EQ typically excel in human interaction and getting people to follow them,” he says.

Prospective employees with high EI are easy to spot in an interview.

They raise questions, own their failures without dwelling on them, and are comfortable in their own skin, meaning you can throw tough questions at them. Look for potential hires who are good listeners and think about their responses before answering honestly. They also use adjectives and adverbs generously, an indication they’re thinking more with the left side of their brain. “There’s not only the factual element to something, it’s the component of how does that make me feel and what was my reaction to it,” he says. “They’re very descriptive in their language, not only giving you X, Y and Z but how and why X, Y and Z impacted them, how it made them feel and how it impacted people around them.”

“Buying insurance can’t change your life; instead it prevents your lifestyle from being changed. After toiling for decades, an illness can wipe out an entire family’s savings by the medical bills incurred. In times of tragedy, when faced with the possible loss of life, one is once again reminded of the purpose of the existence of insurance sales people.”

In 2001, I made a mistake. I told 18 of my fellow comrades whom embarked on the entrepreneurship journey with me that the highest positions they could go was a managerial role. To fill all our Vice President and Senior Executive positions, we would have to hire from external parties.

Years later, those I hired were gone, but those whom I doubted their abilities became Vice Presidents or Directors.

I believe in two principles: Your attitude is more important than your capabilities. Similarly, your decision is more important than your capabilities!

Jack Ma: You cannot unify everyone’s thoughts, but you can unify everyone through a common goal.

Don’t even trust that you are able to unify what everyone is thinking; it is impossible.

30% of all people will never believe you. Do not allow your colleagues and employees to work for you. Instead, let them work for a common goal.

It is a lot easier to unite the company under a common goal rather than uniting the company around a particular person.

Jack Ma: What does a leader have that an employee doesn’t?

A leader should never compare his technical skills with his employee’s. Your employee should have superior technical skills than you. If he doesn’t, it means you have hired the wrong person.

What, then, makes the leader stands out?

A leader should be a visionary and have more foresight than an employee.

A leader should have higher grit and tenacity, and be able to endure what the employees can’t.

A leader should have higher endurance and ability to accept and embrace failure.

The quality of a good leader therefore is his vision, tenacity, and his capability.

Jack Ma: Don’t be involved in politics

One should always understand that money and political power can never go hand in hand. Once you are in politics, don’t ever think about money anymore. Once you are running a business, don’t ever think of being involved in politics.

When money meets political power, it is similar to a match meeting an explosive- waiting to go off.

Jack Ma: The 4 main questions the young generation must ponder on

What is failure: Giving up is the greatest failure.

What is resilience: Once you have been through hardships, grievances and disappointments, only then will you understand what is resilience.

What your duties are: To be more diligent, hardworking, and ambitious than others.

Only fools use their mouth to speak. A smart man uses his brain, and a wise man uses his heart.

Jack Ma: We are born to live and experience life.

I always tell myself that we are born here not to work, but to enjoy life. We are here to make things better for one another, and not to work. If you are spending your whole life working, you will certainly regret it.

No matter how successful you are in your career, you must always remember that we are here to live. If you keep yourself busy working, you will surely regret it.

Jack Ma on competing and competition

Those that compete aggressively with one another are the foolish ones.

If you view everyone as your enemies, everyone around you will be your enemies.

When you are competing with one another, don’t bring hatred along. Hatred will take you down.

Competition is similar to playing a board of chess. If you lose, we can always have another round. Both players should never fight.

A real businessman or entrepreneur has no enemies. Once he understand this, the sky’s the limit.

Jack Ma: Don’t make complaining and whining a habit

If you complain or whine once in a while, it is not a big deal.

However, if it becomes habitual, it will be similar to drinking: the more you drink, the stronger the thirst. On the path to success, you will notice that the successful ones are not whiners, nor do they complain often.

The world will not remember what you say, but it will certainly not forget what you have done.

Jack Ma’s advice to entrepreneurs

The opportunities that everyone cannot see are the real opportunities.

Always let your employees come to work with a smile.

Customers should be number 1, Employees number 2, and then only your Shareholders come at number 3.

Adopt and change before any major trends or changes.

Forget the money; Forget about earning money.

Rather than having small smart tricks to get by, focus on holding on and persevering.

Your attitude determines your altitude.

Jack Ma on entrepreneurship

A great opportunity is often hard to be explained clearly; things that can be explained clearly are often not the best opportunities.

You should find someone who has complementary skills to start a company with. You shouldn’t necessarily look for someone successful. Find the right people, not the best people.

The most unreliable thing in this world is human relationships.

“Free” is the most expensive word.

Today is cruel, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be beautiful.

Jack Ma: The 4 don’ts of entrepreneurship

The scariest things about starting up is the inability to see, to be snobbish, to be unable to understand what is going on, as well as to be unable to keep up with pace.

If you do not know where your competitor is, or overconfident and snobbish about your competitor, or are unable to comprehend how your competitor became a real threat, you will surely fall behind him. Don’t be the “they” in this idiom: First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Even if your competitor is still small in size or weak, you should take him seriously and treat him as a giant. Likewise, even if your competitor is massive in size, you shouldn’t regard yourself as a weakling.

Jack Ma on starting your own company

What starting your company means: you will lose your stable income, your right to apply for a leave of absence, and your right to get a bonus.

However, it also means your income will no longer be limited, you will use your time more effectively, and you will no longer need to beg for favours from people anymore.

If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then be different from your peers.

Jack Ma on opportunities

If there are over 90% of the crowd saying “Yes” to approving a proposal, I will surely dispose the proposal into the bin. The reason is simple: if there are so many people who thinks that the proposal is good, surely there will be many people who would have been working on it, and the opportunity no longer belongs to us.

The article is originally published in Chinese, and is translated into English. If you think this was helpful, feel free to share it with your friends.

About Jack Ma: Jack Ma is a Chinese Internet entrepreneur. He is the Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, a family of highly successful Internet-based businesses. He is also the first mainland Chinese entrepreneur to appear on the cover of Forbes Magazine and ranks as one of the world’s billionaires.Ma was named the Financial Times’ 2013 Person of the Year because he personifies the Chinese internet, referring to him as the “godfather of China’s scrappy entrepreneurial spirit.”.